As a child growing up, my mom made this often. It was and is still one of my favorites! The only difference in my mom's recipe was she added a cup of chopped pecans that had been floured (so they wouldn't sink to the bottom), gently stirring them in at the last before pouring into the pan for baking. (She made hers in a tube pan.) Also, something else my mom did, was she would start this the night before. She would cool the shortening/raisins/water/sugar mixture with a lid on the pan, overnight. (She did this on top of our washing machine in the garage!) The next morning, she would spoon most of the hardened shortening off, and then proceed with the making the cake. Thanks so much for posting! I absolutely LOVE this cake!! :)